Comparison of the hemolysis machinery in two evolutionarily distant blood-feeding arthropod vectors of human diseases

0553170 - BC 2022 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Dorrah, M. - Bensaoud, Chaima - Mohamed, A. A. A. - Sojka, Daniel - Bassal, T. - Kotsyfakis, Michalis
Comparison of the hemolysis machinery in two evolutionarily distant blood-feeding arthropod vectors of human diseases.
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Roč. 15, č. 2 (2021), č. článku e0009151. ISSN 1935-2735. E-ISSN 1935-2735
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-07247S; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_019/0000759; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF20_079/0017809
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : gut microbiota * hematophagous insects * digestive processes * human erythrocytes * argas-persicus * ixodes-dammini * midgut * diptera * mosquitos * membrane
OECD category: Biochemistry and molecular biology
Impact factor: 4.781, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access
https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0009151

Host blood protein digestion plays a pivotal role in the ontogeny and reproduction of hematophagous vectors. The gut of hematophagous arthropods stores and slowly digests host blood and represents the primary gateway for transmitted pathogens. The initial step in blood degradation is induced lysis of host red blood cells (hemolysis), which releases hemoglobin for subsequent processing by digestive proteolytic enzymes. The activity cycles and characteristics of hemolysis in vectors are poorly understood. Hence, we investigated hemolysis in two evolutionarily distant blood-feeding arthropods: The mosquito Culex pipiens and the soft tick Argas persicus, both of which are important human and veterinary disease vectors. Hemolysis in both species was cyclical after blood meal ingestion. Maximum digestion occurs under slightly alkaline conditions in females. Hemolytic activity appears to be of lipoid origin in C. pipiens and enzymatic activity (proteolytic) in A. persicus. We have assessed the effect of pH, incubation time, and temperature on hemolytic activity and the hemolysin. The susceptibility of red blood cells from different hosts to the hemolysin and the effect of metabolic inhibition of hemolytic activity were assessed. We conclude that in C. pipiens and A. persicus midgut hemolysins control the amplitude of blood lysis step to guarantee an efficient blood digestion.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0328173